To create a static image, like the one of Graceland above, you simply pass the center of the map, zoom level, and dimensions to OpenStreetMap.

Static APIs have become more popular lately. Google upgraded its static API and MapQuest released its first take. One reason for the popularity could be how maps are being used. On many sites, developers simply point out a single location, using an interactive map in a non-interactive manner. This is more resource intensive for the mapping provider, as well as slower for the user to load. Static maps create a simple way to solve this issue.

About the author:Adam DuVander
-- Adam heads developer relations at Orchestrate, a database-as-a-service company. He's spent many years analyzing APIs and developer tools. Previously he worked at SendGrid, edited ProgrammableWeb and wrote for Wired and Webmonkey. Adam is also the author of mapping API cookbook Map Scripting 101.

[...] edited, making it a kind of â€œWikipedia for mapsâ€ (see our earlier coverage on this project here). The results have been quite impressive, asÂ TechCrunch reported: The number of contributors to [...]

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